Yesterday, President Joe Biden stated he would seek clarification from Beijing by speaking directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding the matter of the entry of a Chinese spy balloon into US territory.
Biden Expects Talks
Throughout an afternoon address to the nation, Biden stated he anticipates meeting with President Xi and he hopes they will get answers. He also promised US ambassadors will bring up the matter and seek responsibility with their respective Chinese counterparts.
The president emphasized, despite authorizing the American military to blow up the balloon on February 4, he had no remorse for doing so. Biden said he did not regret his decision and he makes no apologies for it.
The administration appears to be taking its time to move over the event, as evidenced by the definitive statements; it is probable that it will utilize it to exert diplomatic pressure on Beijing.
After his address, Biden said in an appearance with NBC that the event offers him an edge when interacting with Xi. According to Biden, Xi does not what China’s relations with the US and himself to completely fall apart.
🇨🇳🇺🇸US President Joe Biden has arrived to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping
The Chinese leader allowed him to shake hands pic.twitter.com/QGhu34SFZP
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZgeopolitics) November 14, 2022
In an attempt to promote his government’s concept of a regulations-based global order in opposition to autocratic China’s expanding economic, diplomatic, and military clout, Biden subtly characterized the global reaction to the surveillance balloon episode.
In the address, Biden stated they briefed various diplomatic counterparts and America’s partners throughout the world, some of whom have also discussed their present worries with Beijing.
Even as the U.S. attempted to temper its stance, the Chinese leadership worked to minimize the event.
According to Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the U.S. must avoid touting the need for discussion and interaction while fueling hostilities and exacerbating the issue.
Wang referred to the intervention as surprising and unusual and encouraged a return to the path of healthy and stable growth in the two countries relations.
Biden will meet with Xi on Monday for the first high-stakes sit-down with the Chinese leader.President Biden will meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping face-to-face on Monday, their first in-person encounter since Biden took office,to discuss growing tensions between USA and CHINA. pic.twitter.com/Dou8LB7Sp3
— Sajjad (@Sajjad57678616) November 10, 2022
This might be all a bit late and not enough in light of Beijing’s most recent vehement remarks.
Wang claimed on Monday that the American shooting down of the blimp, which China maintains was a civilian device used to gather weather information, represented a trigger-happy response.
The U.S. was then criticized by Wang for being guilty of being the biggest spies and allegedly deploying high-altitude balloons over China, which the Biden government swiftly denied.
Democrats Toughen
Senior Democratic legislators’ attitudes have also toughened as a result of Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe’s unwillingness to take Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s summons on the same day the military fired on the balloon.
Sen. Robert Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated it’s foolish not to respond to the emergency telephone if the head of the Department of Defense, Secretary Austin, is phoning to ensure they don’t have any unforeseen repercussions.
This article appeared in The Patriot Brief and has been published here with permission.
